Blue Life Hub (2025)

04/07/2025

The city of Turku (Finland) is preparing to host the third edition of the A’Pelago initiative on August 20–21, 2025—an international forum that is shaping the future of the Blue Economy in the Baltic Sea. More than just an event, it’s an operational meeting point for those rethinking the ocean economy through a regenerative lens, starting from Northern Europe and reaching across the globe.

With over 300 participants from more than ten countries, A’Pelago is reaffirming its role as one of Europe’s leading platforms connecting science, business, and impact-driven capital. The theme for the 2025 edition, “The Ocean Starts Here”, serves both as a warning and a shared vision: change begins in local territories, even those that may seem peripheral, like the Finnish archipelago.

Turku opens the route to the global Blue Economy - The city of Turku (Finland) is preparing to host the third edition of the A’Pelago initi...

03/07/2025

In the new report jointly published by the World Bank and WWF, sustainable aquaculture emerges as one of the most concrete levers for building a resilient, inclusive, and low-emission food system over the next twenty-five years. The study, “Harnessing Water: A Trillion-Dollar Investment Opportunity in Sustainable Aquaculture,” lays out a vision that is both clear and ambitious: the future of fish increasingly lies in farming, and it will largely depend on how—and how much—we invest with foresight.

According to the document, the “business as usual” scenario foresees investments of about USD 500 billion by 2050. This amount would stimulate an annual aquaculture growth rate of 1.9%, bringing global production to around 159 million tonnes of seafood (excluding algae) and generating up to 14 million new jobs. But it’s the more ambitious scenario—USD 1.5 trillion in investments—that truly captures attention: production could reach 225 million tonnes and provide employment opportunities for over 22 million people. These are figures that turn aquaculture into a true development infrastructure.

Sustainable Aquaculture: The Trillion-Dollar Challenge - In the new report jointly published by the World Bank and WWF, sustainable aquacul...

02/07/2025

A natural source of essential nutrients that ensures the development of fish larvae is zooplankton. Attention to larval nutrition is crucial to guarantee high survival rates as well as healthy growth in farmed fish and crustaceans.

At the heart of this nutrition is a tiny yet powerful ally: zooplankton, composed mainly of microscopic organisms such as rotifers, copepods, and Artemia nauplii. Zooplankton represents the primary diet for larvae during the early stages of life.

It is often considered the “ideal first prey” for many marine and freshwater fish species. Its size, natural movement in water, and composition make it highly palatable and easily digestible for larvae.

Larvae also have a high protein requirement to build tissues and develop muscles and organs. Zooplankton provides easily assimilable proteins that are essential for cellular growth.

Zooplankton for Larval Nutrition in Aquaculture - A natural source of essential nutrients that ensures the development of fish larvae is zo...

01/07/2025

In today’s seafood industry, professional nets for fishing and aquaculture are more than just tools—they are strategic assets that improve efficiency and safeguard marine resources. Every operational detail affects performance. And while nets are among the most technical elements in fishing and aquaculture, they are still too often overlooked. Yet choosing the right fishing net goes beyond durability—it impacts costs, safety, and sustainability.

Mediterranea Reti, a specialist in the production of professional fishing nets and aquaculture cages, proves this with a practical and results-driven approach. Their solutions are based on real environmental and operational conditions, delivering tailor-made, tested, and documented products. Each net is designed to perform over time—not to be quickly replaced.

Technique, durability, and the sea: the value of choosing the right fishing nets - In today's seafood industry, professional nets for fishi...

30/06/2025

Seafood Expo Asia 2025 aims to be a strategic showcase for the global seafood industry, with the goal of fostering new business agreements and highlighting trends in the Asian market. The event will take place from September 10 to 12 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, bringing together thousands of seafood professionals from around the world.

The 2025 edition features an extensive, business-oriented program: innovative seafood products, processing solutions, culinary demonstrations, and a training agenda designed to provide buyers and stakeholders with an up-to-date view of industry transformations.

The previous edition welcomed over 4,500 specialized visitors from 80 countries, marking a significant moment of exchange and growth for global seafood exports. This year’s edition promises even greater numbers, both in attendance and geographic reach, with new national pavilions from countries such as China, South Korea, Estonia, and Taiwan.

Seafood Expo Asia 2025: Global Industry Meets in Singapore - Seafood Expo Asia 2025 aims to be a strategic showcase for the global seafoo...

26/06/2025

The scientific findings of a recent study by Davinia Torreblanca and José Carlos Báez, researchers at the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), are clear and disturbing: the waters of the western Mediterranean, particularly in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea, are seeing a significant increase in the presence of fish species typical of tropical climates. This process, known as the tropicalisation of the Mediterranean Sea, is rewriting – and warming – the biological coordinates of our sea.

The study, published on 3 June 2025 in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, is based on a comparative analysis of the thermal preferences of the new species recorded in Spanish waters compared to those historically present. The most striking result concerns the ESAL area (Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán Sea), where the new arrivals show thermal preferences more than 6 °C higher than the already known species. This data speaks for itself: something is changing rapidly.

The implications for the fishing industry are profound. Firstly, the arrival of thermophilic species — such as lionfish (Pterois miles), tropical mackerel and parrotfish — brings with it new trophic balances, unknown interactions, and management and commercial challenges. Secondly, as the authors point out, tropicalisation is not uniform: while the effect is still limited in the LEBA (Levante-Balearic Islands) zone, in the ESAL area it is approaching a true ecological transformation.

The changing Mediterranean: new fish species and an increasingly tropical sea - The scientific findings of a recent study by Davinia Torr...

25/06/2025

The manifesto, co-authored by over 60 young ocean advocates representing all regions — Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, emerged as a unified declaration of intent, concern, and vision. Its authors came from diverse backgrounds: marine scientists, indigenous youth, communicators, entrepreneurs, artists, students, and policy campaigners. What connected them was a common identity they chose for themselves:

“We are the Citizens of the Ocean—united by our connection to the sea and a shared duty to protect it.”

This opening statement, drawn from the manifesto’s preamble, reflected the sense of urgency and belonging felt by young people whose lives and livelihoods are directly impacted by the degradation of marine ecosystems.

Across the planet, youth have witnessed the rapid loss of biodiversity, the warming and acidification of oceans, the erasure of cultural and ecological heritage, and the continued exclusion of their voices from crucial decisions. The manifesto was, in essence, a counter-narrative call not only to stop harm, but to build new systems based on justice, respect, and restoration.

From Nausicaá to Nice Youth Presented the Global Ocean Manifesto at UNOC3 - The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Ni...

23/06/2025

A fishery auction is a critical component of the seafood supply chain, acting as a marketplace where freshly caught fish and seafood products are sold to buyers, such as wholesalers, distributors, processors, and sometimes directly to retailers. This auction process is typically held at fishery markets, often in proximity to major landing sites where fishing vessels unload their catches. It serves as the point where fishery products are assessed, categorized, and traded based on their quality, size, and market demand.

The primary goal of a fishery auction is to facilitate the efficient sale of seafood in a transparent and competitive environment, ensuring fair prices for both sellers (fishermen and fishers) and buyers. The auction process typically involves the sorting of fish by species, size, and quality, followed by an open bidding or lot system where buyers place bids on specific lots of fish. The highest bidder wins the lot and purchases the seafood for immediate transportation to markets or processing plants.

Fishery auctions are an essential part of managing the flow of seafood products from the source to the consumer. They provide a means of quickly liquidating the catch, ensuring fresh products are promptly distributed. Additionally, the auction system helps regulate supply and demand, determining market prices in real-time based on the quality of the fish and the level of competition among buyers. This dynamic pricing mechanism encourages both efficiency in the seafood supply chain and fairness in the transaction process.

With an emphasis on hygiene, quality control, and transparency, modern fishery auctions are equipped with proper infrastructure, including refrigerated storage, sorting tables, and sanitation measures, to ensure the seafood remains in optimal condition throughout the process. The auction environment is regulated by food safety standards to maintain the quality and traceability of the products being sold, thus supporting consumer confidence and sustainability in the seafood market.

Overall, fishery auctions are not only essential for efficient market functioning but also play a crucial role in ensuring that fresh, high-quality seafood reaches consumers while maintaining fair practices in pricing and distribution.

Auction in First Sale Fishery Market _ Part. 6 - A fishery auction is a critical component of the seafood supply chain, acting as a marke...

20/06/2025

Hormonal substances are used in fish farms to promote reproduction. This technical choice brings advantages, but deserves attention due to its environmental and health implications.

When we talk about farmed fish, we often think about the quality of their feed, their origin or the sustainability of the farm. Few people know, however, that many aquaculture facilities use synthetic hormones to stimulate fish reproduction. These substances mimic natural hormones, the most commonly used being an analogue of GnRH, the hormone that regulates reproductive activity.

This practice is common in farms breeding sea bream, sea bass, salmon and other species, where it is used to artificially induce sexual maturation, facilitating the production of eggs and s***m.

In nature, fish reproduce at specific times of the year, following seasonal cycles. In a farm, however, this timing can create difficulties: long waiting times, difficulties in synchronising production and unpredictable results.

To overcome these limitations, farmers resort to hormone injections that “push” the breeders to activate the reproductive process even out of season. This allows for better planning of births, optimising timing and improving the economic yield of the farm.
These hormones are not administered to fish for slaughter, but only to breeding stock. They do not accumulate in muscle tissue, i.e. the part that is normally eaten.

Fish and hormones: what you need to know about modern aquaculture - Hormonal substances are used in fish farms to promote reproduction....

19/06/2025

In the complex web of decisions that define the future of fishing in Europe, the real protagonists are not only found in institutional buildings. A recent study by Fundación MarInnLeg, a legal centre based in Vigo, sheds light on interest groups in European fishing, offering a detailed map of the organisations that directly influence the Union’s choices on fishing, processing and sustainability.

The focus is on the European Commission’s Advisory Councils – in particular the MAC (Market Advisory Council) and the LDAC (Long Distance Advisory Council) – which see the active participation of industry associations, environmental NGOs and international foundations. It is there that divergent interests are debated, priorities are negotiated and regulatory guidelines affecting the entire fishing industry are shaped.

Among the economic players, the report identifies structured entities such as Europêche, EAPO and AIPCE-CEP, which represent shipowners, cooperatives and processing companies throughout Europe, including Italy. On the conservationist front, giants such as WWF European Policy Office, Oceana and Pew Charitable Trusts emerge, supported by American foundations and active in defining environmental objectives, often in a restrictive manner with regard to fishing activities.

Who really shapes EU fisheries policy? An in-depth look at interest groups - In the complex web of decisions that define the future of fi...

18/06/2025

The fishing industry can reap tangible benefits from the algae supply chain, both in terms of production and the environment. The applications are multiplying: algae-based alternatives to fish, compostable packaging, more sustainable feed for farms, but also restoration solutions for seagrass beds threatened by the climate crisis.

Projects such as Seafood Algternative — which creates plant-based fish substitutes using spirulina and other microalgae — or REEForest LIFE, dedicated to the recovery of macroalgae forests in the Mediterranean, show how this segment is integrating with industrial and environmental logic that is now essential.

This means being able to diversify the offer with high added-value products, ready to meet the growing demand for alternative proteins and real sustainability, not just declared sustainability.

Algae, a growing industry: from food innovation to ecosystem restoration - It is no longer just a raw material for supplements or cosmetic...

17/06/2025

In the delicate balance between nutrition, sustainability and production performance, European aquaculture is looking with growing interest at new protein sources for feed. A scientific review by researchers Kiranpreet Kaur and Silvia Torrecillas highlights how the inclusion of krill in aquaculture feed represents a promising solution, particularly for non-salmonid species such as sea bream, sea bass, sea bream and tilapia.

In a global context where the availability of fishmeal and fish oil is threatened by climatic and economic factors — just think of the collapse in production in Peru linked to El Niño — products derived from Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) stand out for their nutritional profile, palatability and sustainability. High-quality proteins, phospholipids rich in EPA and DHA, astaxanthin and bioactive peptides combine in a functional ingredient capable of stimulating growth, strengthening the immune system and improving fillet quality.

Krill in feed: the sustainable breakthrough for aquaculture - In the delicate balance between nutrition, sustainability and production pe...

Blue Life Hub